I love wearing Maxi Dresses and apparently so does celebrities such as Jennifer Garner, Sienna Miller, Miley Cyrus, Misha Barton & Rachael Bilson and many more celebs as they are looking chic, comfy, cool and breezy in their flowy long dresses. This style were all the rage during the late 70`s, appeared again as a trend a few year ago and is continuing this summer with many famous people and young Hollywood starlets out and about in their maxi-chic look while wearing long dresses. Maxi dresses can be great for an every-day comfortable wear while you can avoid waxing or tanning your legs! They are good all year long since when its getting colder during winter you can add a basic wrap to be all set!  

Cellulite- a bumpy orange peel or cottage cheese-like appearance of the skin found mostly on the hips, thighs and buttocks, is the bane of about 90% women, regardless if they are fat or slim.
Improper diet and lack of physical activity are the leading causes of accumulation of fluid, toxins and waste products in the body that bring about the formation of cellulite, therefore, you have to change to a healthy diet and exercise regularly to get rid of cellulite.
Eat a well balance diet that contains a high amount of fibers, lean proteins and complex carbohydrates, add fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet as well. Researchers have found that Vitamin C, which helps the body rid itself of toxins, plays a role in eliminating cellulite, so make sure you have plenty of it in your diet.

Besides a healthy diet, the most effective and long lasting way of getting rid of cellulite is by performing cardiovascular exercises like jogging, cycling, running, and performing weight training exercises, which increases the amount of blood flowing through your body and helps to flush out toxins in even the most difficult areas. The toner your body is, the better blood circulation becomes and the faster the dimply cellulite reduces.

Net caloric intake = (calories consumed) – (calories expended)

I`m doing everything is my ability and strive to keep my net calorie intake within 50 calories of my daily caloric intake for weight loss.  On a weekly basis, reevaluate I daily caloric intake for weight loss until I reach my optimal weight.

If you are a woman, your BMR =

655 + (4.35 x weight in lbs.) + (4.7 x height in inches) — (4.7 x age in years)

If you are a man, your BMR =

66 + (6.23 x weight in lbs.) + (12.7 x height in inches) — (6.8 x age in years)

Next, you would need to determine your daily caloric need based on your activity level, then add these results to the basic amount of calories you burn. Choose your appropriate activity level from the following and get your approximate numbers based on these formulas:
1. Sedentary (little or no exercise): Calories = BMR x 1.2
2. Lightly active (light exercise/sports 1 to 3 days/week): Calories = BMR x 1.375
3. Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days/week): Calories = BMR x 1.55
4. Very active (hard exercise/sports 6 to 7 days a week): Calories = BMR x 1.725
5. Extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or twice-a-day training): Calories = BMR x 1.9

Once you have that number you can determine the number of calories you would need to cut per week/day using the following equation:

Calories cut per week = (optimal weight loss per week, in pounds) x (3,500 calories)

Calories cut per day = (calories cut per week) / 7

How to keep track of your net caloric intake on a daily base and keep your weight lose goals? find out in my next post: Keeping track of your diet- that`s the secret!  Coming next!

We all know dieting isn’t a simple. However, if you have some basic knowledge of mathematics calculation, and I`m talking really simple math, you have a better chance to succeed in achieving your new weight goals! Once you realize everything we eat, drink, snack, “just a bite” or, lets put it this way- every little thing that goes through our mouth (accept pure water, of course) is literally adding numbers to the equation. those numbers are obiously calories, and we wanna make sure the total will be lower then the number of calories our body burns during the day.  Reaserches proved that losing a pound of fat requires a 3,500 calorie deficit, which you can achieve by cutting calories from your diet or burning more calories through exercise.

So? How do we know how much calories we burn during the day?

Discover it in my next post to come : 

How much do we really burn?

Coming next!   

Sun damage is the greatest threat to your skin’s long-term health and beauty. Nothing ages skin faster than the sun’s UVA and UVB rays, and premature aging caused by exposure to the sun’s rays creates saggy skin, wrinkled skin, dark sunspots and discoloration.

Your skin is exposed not only when you’re lounging by the pool, but when you’re going from your car to the grocery store.  Further more, about 80% of the sun’s cell-destroying UV and UB rays can penetrate windshields and assault your skin even through cloud cover.   

Some of the nasty secrets of what the sun can do to your skin are destroying skin’s connective tissue, leading to loss of tone, texture and firmness (what causing the appearance of wrinkles) and encourage melanocytes to become overactive and clump together, resulting in age spots, uneven pigmentation and skin cancer.  

In order to prevent sun damage, besides staying indoors you should wear broad-spectrum lotions with SPF 15 or higher, over sized sun-glasses, wide-brim hats and use spray tanning services!

Remember: Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer, and sun damage can affect people of all ages, races and colorings – not just those with light skin and light eyes!

Dieting has never been an easy thing for me especially since loosing weight comes slow even when I`m really trying to keep a healthy, light lifestyle routine AND exercise at least 4 times a week… Apparently, there could be a hidden factor in weight control such as: Bacteria. Everyone has bacteria in their digestive system, but if you’re overweight, it may be because the blend of those bugs is causing you to absorb more calories from the food you eat!
Adding healthy bacteria and “Getting more pro-biotics in your diet can change the balance of bacteria,” says Steven Pratt, M.D., author of SuperHealth, and that can lead to more efficient weight loss! Eat more Yogurt which contain probiotics, such as acidophilus and take control of your weight-loss like I did… (and yes, it worked..)

I used to think the best diet food is low fat and calories reduced. However, its not always true! The best diet food that is healthy, can fight disease and will slim you down is: Nuts! Nuts are fatty, but they keep you full, plus the extra protein they contain will revs up metabolism. Recent studies found that people who ate nuts on a daily base lost 39 percent more weight than those who didn’t , even though their calorie intake was the same! On top of that amazing weight loss fact, keep in mind that nuts can lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes and- cancer!!!  now, that a reason to go nuts, don’t you think ???!!!

My favorite recommended office snacks are:

When I crave for REAL Chocolate, I pick one Kudos Milk Chocolate Granola Bar that has only 100 Calories and 3.5 grams of fat per one snack! I buy the large variety pack that contains 50 bars with different original flavors which last a few months and make sure its handy!!!

When I feel like something salty I grab a bunch of Special K Crackers! You need up to 17 of them in order to reach 90 calories!  They are multi-grains with fiber and dont taste like diet ones!!!  

If I more into crunchy or salty snacks then popcorn is the perfect low calories option (when you choose the right kind!)
Orville Redenbacher- Gourmet Microwavable Popcorn, the  Butter Light kind, is my favorite one since it is low calorie and low fat yet tastes very real and buttery! love it! I simply through it in the microwave for 2 minutes and I get a bag full with diet snack!!!!

Sandra Bullock explained to InStyle magazine that she`s a low maintenance type of woman, and has a simple beauty secret that takes about 8 minutes to apply: “I use face cloth and Artistry cream for my daily beauty which takes about eight minutes!” says Bullock. “It may be quick yet very effective beauty routine”.

Apparently,  the Artistry Microdermabrasion System offers an at-home alternative to microdermabrasion, providing professional-grade results and glowing skin!  Very recommended skin care product!!!

These are some manue secrets you need to know:

• Anytime you see the words “Parmesans-Crusted,” or “Orange Glazed” assume the dish has been slathered in sugar or cheese, had given a frying treatment and probably contain nearly a full day’s worth of sodium and half a day’s worth of calories!
  

• In Mexican restaurants, salads are mostly the absolute worst choice from the menu. For example, with burritos and tacos, the amount of high-fat, high-calorie fillers is limited to what will fit in the shells! pay attention!
  

• The top word you should be careful about is the mighty Caesar. Regular restaraunt`s Caesar dressing is normally loaded with many grams of fat and is very high in calories, combine it with cheese and croutons and you turn your light, healthy salad to a complete diet disaster! always ask for a low fat or fat-free dressing!

Good Luck!

The beautiful 40 year old celebrity Jennifer Lopez has a great younger looking skin.  Some of it is genetics and some is thanks to the advantage of being rich and famous which makes it easy having the best products at your fingertips.  However, there are some beauty secrets and simple tricks that are used by Jen for creating that youthful look: She wears a pale lip with a hint of shimmer, which makes your lips look fuller and more sexy, especially when you add dramatic eyes make-up, like she does.  But- her most important secret, just like Angelina Jolie, is to make sure her makeup is never overdone, which normally ages!

Beautiful Jennifer Garner believes that healthy diet equals flawless skin, which is why her favorite recipes comes from the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, by Ina Garten.  I have bloged about foods that makes your skin feels healthier and look prettier many times before, however this cookbook is totally worth writing about. This is aconventionally organized cookbook with unconventional delicious, healthy, beauty booster food recieps!  

The main cause of bad breat  is a buildup of bacteria on your tongue, in between your teeth or in the back of your throat, which is often the results of some food left behind from not brushing thoroughly enough. Breath mints can be a quick fix, however if they contain sugar it will actually feed those microbes and can eventually make odor worse in the long run.

According to recent Japanese researches eating plain, suger-free yogurt may help get rid of the stinky bad breath! Go Yogurt!!!

Santa Barbara is a beautiful California city, somewhere on the pacific coastline in between Los Angles and San Fransisco, however, this is Not a traveling blog, therefore I would like to mention the real reason why I mentioned Santa Barbara Bay. It is actually the name of a great seafood products company which I am absolutely in-love in their healthy, low fat and low calories Seafood Spread! 

It is delicious and versatile spread, made from high-quality imitation crab with snow crab, bay shrimp, fresh celery, and some spice blend. It is a truly original and unique food product, has some wonderful nutritional benefits and most important thing- I can enjoy having it with some fresh celery sticks and keep up with my daily diet routine!!!

Yummmyy!!!

This one-of-a-kind beauty Eva Mendes knows she cant always go for the healthy snack especially when she’s in love with Uncle Eddie’s vegan chocolate chip cookies.

They maybe contain no dairy or unrefined sugar, however, one cookie is loaded with 140 calories and 6 grams of fat! There you go- I just proved my point- even one of my all times favorite celeb does not give up her sweet tooth satisfaction every now and then!  Bottom line- if satisfying you sweet tooth makes you happier- pick your most favorite fatty sweets and make sure that you enjoying it once a while! (As many healthy, skinny and beautiful celebrities and famous people you know do) It is not gonna be the end of the world for your diet or weight watching routing…  It means keeping a healthy lifestyle with a healthy relaxed mind!  

My worst enemy while dieting or weight watching is dinning out in wonderful restaurants where some great dishes are simply irresistible! You see, ever since I started dating my current spouse I found it harder to watch what I eat, especially because he loves taking me to those nicest food places, where you kinda feel like you missed something if you order your very ordinary Caesar salad! For me, a person who appreciates great food, it always feels like a battle!  A short consultation with my nutritionist had made me realized the fact I don’t have to feel bad about having a great quality restaurant dinner, as long as I eat right and less during the day! That`s the secret! What a blast!!!  

Okay…. so I was watching my favorite reality show tonight, The Bachelor, when realized you can have the most amazing body with a matching beautiful face, however it wont do any good when trying to gain someone`s heart. Being not so healthy soul wise, can definitely be a turned off, especialy for a gorgeous bachelor like Jack. Michaella was concentrating in mentioning the fact she is looking for a husband instead of focusing in getting closer to Jack. She is beautiful from the outside and I am sure she is a great person, however it seems like she is trying to get to the point without knowing the right way to get  there… 

Good Luck in finding your love….

My secret is- Be realistic and guard against you weaknesses by not buying the treats at all! After all, if its not available- You cant eat it! Good Luck and strong willpower with your diet and weight watching!